


A Mistake

by seri-kun (vanijane)



Series: The Brave Snake (Gryffindor Draco AU) [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Minerva McGonagall, Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Gryffindor Draco Malfoy, M/M, Pre-Friendship, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 11:47:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7756720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanijane/pseuds/seri-kun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>There must be some mistake – he couldn’t be in Gryffindor. He should be in Slytherin – like Father, like Mother and all his aunts and uncles. How could he not be in Slytherin?</i><br/>
<br/>
Or, Draco is sorted into Gryffindor and has to deal with all pain that comes with his world being flipped upside down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> Also on [**tumblr**](http://psychofluffy.tumblr.com/post/148873533384/fic-a-mistake-harry-potter-drarry).  
>    
>  Based on [**this**](http://psychofluffy.tumblr.com/post/148832222844/i-am-tempted-to-write-in-the-verse-but-the). I won’t write a complete fic of this AU but I will be writing oneshots of it (and will be placing it into a collection). There is also very little Harry/Draco interaction in this chapter as it focuses more on Draco dealing with being Gryffindor and not exactly befriending Hermione.  
>    
>  **Warning(s):** Subtle hints of depression and self-loathing, verbal child abuse (I think it counts, just to be safe)

“Draco Malfoy.”

The deputy headmistress called and with his chin help up high, Draco swaggered to the three legged stool. He smiled smugly, his eyes already trained on the table at the far end of the hall. He didn’t need to be sorted, Father already _knew_ he would be placed in Slytherin. All of his family were in Slytherin, there was no other option or house most suitable for a Malfoy.

The Sorting Hat was soft on his head, he didn’t think a ratty old hat would feel comfortable. It looked poorly maintained, droopy but stiff like it would itch or was ridden with insects or moth.

“ _I’d like to say that I’m properly maintained, boy._ ”

Oh right. The Hat could read his mind, much like Mother’s legilimens.

“ _And I was sewn this way by the Founders of Hogwarts._ ”

They didn’t have very good taste then.

“ _They did what they could at the time._ ”

Now the Hat just sounded _hurt_ and it made him feel a little bad – guilt, he presumed. It was funny to feel guilty for an old hat that he’d just met and well, wouldn’t probably talk to ever again.

It chuckled and Draco tried not to giggle, it was rather ticklish.

“ _Well, I think I’ve seen all that I can here, Draco Malfoy._ ”

Oh, then that was quick but then it was a hat enchanted by four great wizards. It wouldn’t be a wonder that the hat could sort through his mind so quickly.

“Gryffindor!”

Draco froze on the stool as the deputy headmistress took off the Sorting Hat from his head. The whole hall had gone silent and he wasn’t sure if he was still breathing. There must be some mistake – he couldn’t be in Gryffindor. He should be in Slytherin – like Father, like Mother and all his aunts and uncles. How could he _not_ be in Slytherin?

“Mr Malfoy, I trust that you know where to sit?” The deputy headmistress whispered to his ear when he didn’t move. He felt her warm hand on his shoulder, a firm but gently hold. “You should join your housemates at the Gryffindor table.”

Draco opened his jaw but closed it immediately. He didn’t know what to say, where to begin or if he even remembered how to speak. Instead he nodded with a stiff jerk of his head and slowly headed to the Gryffindor table. As he approached, alarm and panic started to sink in.

Where was he going to sit? He didn’t know anyone in Gryffindor – all his friends were and would be in Slytherin. There _had to be_ a grave mistake. The hat had to be wrong, he didn’t belong in Gryffindor.

“Malfoy, over here.”

He turned to a redhead in an automatic response – a Weasley, he quickly realised, one of the older ones. There were another pair of redheads that sat close to him, both were identical – twins. Were they going to _hurt_ him? Father always said they were barbarians and a disgrace.

But then the first Weasley gestured to the empty space beside him and he looked welcoming and a little bit stern, but Draco had a feeling that the latter was his default expression.

“You can sit beside me.”

Draco blinked but moved forward before he could stop himself or think about the invitation. He took his seat quietly and not even a second later, a hand was shoved almost to his face.

“Percy Weasley, Gryffindor prefect.” Draco looked up and to see that this Weasley looked friendly enough. Like the very definition of a prefect or Head Boy. Quietly Draco took his hand for a firm but brief shake before hiding his hand back under the table.

“I’m Hermione Granger,” a girl sat on the other side of him said. Her voice was arrogant but sure and when Draco turned to her, he remembered seeing her in the train looking for a lost toad.

“Draco Malfoy.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she smiled and it wasn’t anything like the arrogance in her voice. It was sweet and very friendly. Then she gestured across the table where the other another boy and girl their age sat, “he’s Seamus Finnigan and she’s Lavander Brown. Welcome to Gryffindor, Draco.”

* * *

He’d written to Mother as soon as Percy allowed them inside the dormitories. He hadn’t said much to any of the other Gryffindor boys ever since dinner, especially to Harry Potter and his Weasley friend. He still couldn’t forget their little scruffle in the train and he was sure they didn’t either. Draco didn’t think they would be friends and he was still in the firm belief that something was very wrong.

By the time he finished his letter, the other boys had already gone to sleep and his lamp was the only one left burning. He got up from his bed and carefully unlocked his owl from the cage. He had to bribe his owl with treats before Titan agreed to come out and deliver his letter. He expertly tied the note on Titan’s leg and turned to carry his owl towards the window when he noticed that Harry Potter was sitting by the window.

He didn’t know what to say to the boy – he didn’t want a fight, not now when he was confused and admittedly scared. He was supposed to be in the dungeons Mother spoke fondly of, not in a high tower.

Draco cleared his throat and decided to sound polite, “excuse me, Potter. I’ve an owl to send.”

“Oh! I’m sorry!” Potter quickly stood up from the window and stepped away to give him space.

“Thank you,” he said after a thought. He turned to his owl and murmured for him to quickly take it to Mother. Titan hooted rather indignantly before taking off from his arm.

Draco turned around and Potter was still there. He gave a curt nod and muttered a low, “well, good night, Potter.”

He just made it to his bed when he heard Potter say, “good night – see you tomorrow.”

Draco buried himself under the thick blankets. It was soft and warm, much like a lazy summer. Despite his worries or may be because of it, he quickly fell to a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

When he made his way down to the Great Hall the next morning he came across his friends just outside with other Slytherins. He called for them and Pansy turned to him with a sneer but he expected that. He also expected Blaise to look amused but he didn’t expect for both Vincent and Gregory to flat out ignore him even for the temptation of food and breakfast.

“What’s wrong with those two?” He asked with a frown of his own.

“There’s nothing _wrong_ with them – it’s you,” Pansy said, her voice was sharp and menacing. It was a tone he was all too familiar with but it had never been directed at him, Pansy would never dare.

“What?” He squawked indignantly. “And don’t _you_ talk to me like that.”

“You’re a nasty traitor, _Malfoy_ ,” she hissed.

“There’s been a mistake,” he explained but Blaise started laughing.

“There’s no mistake, mate. You’re a Gryffindor, a real pity that. I wonder what your father would say when he hears about this.” Blaise grinned and turned together with Pansy to enter the Great Hall.

Draco stood hurt, confused and most of all _angry_. Didn’t they understand? There was clearly some mistake and Father would fix it, he always did. The Sorting Hat was _wrong_.

* * *

For a week Draco waited for a response from his Mother. Every breakfast he kept looking out for his owl, but Titan never came. For a week, he expected one of the professors to come up to him and tell him that there had been a mistake, that he had to move down to the dungeons were he belonged but it never happened.

He was still hopeful until Friday. They were going to have Potions in the dungeons and the professor handling the class would be his godfather. Surely Severus understood that there was a mistake.

But all throughout the class, his godfather barely paid any attention to him. When he called out names, he practically hissed out Draco’s name before reprimanding Potter for being a total idiot. Severus didn’t even glance at Draco’s way – not even when he had an answer. Half way through the class, Draco sickeningly realised that Severus was ignoring him much like his friends.

He ran out of Potions as quick as he could, not bothering to join lunch at the Great Hall. He found himself back in the Gryffindor common room, unable to deny that he was _very_ scared. He was angry but more than that, he was filled with fear.

His friends _hated_ him. Severus was _ignoring_ him. And even Mother didn’t have a response for his letter.

* * *

He wasn’t sure how he survived the weekend staying in the dormitory. Finnigan and Thomas invited him to the grounds but Weasley grumbled and Draco ignored them, burying himself under the blankets.

It really shouldn’t have come to a surprise that on Monday morning, he was pulled off from bed by Percy Weasley.

“You classmates have told me you haven’t left this room all weekend. I don’t know what’s going on with you, Draco, but you have to eat. You have a full day of classes ahead of you.”

Draco wanted to whine, to fight. He didn’t want to see anyone or leave his bed. But he was tired, too tired to argue, too tired to fight or do anything. So nodded weakly at Percy and prepared for breakfast.

At the Great Hall, he kept his head down and his mouth shut even when Granger tried talking to him. He didn’t even find the strength in him to tell her that she was being very annoying and that she should shut up. The only time that he did lift his head up was when a letter was dropped in front of him. He looked up to find Titan, knowing his owl would want a treat, but he was nowhere to be seen.

He wasn’t too bothered however and quickly tore open the letter. It must have taken a while for Father to fix whatever was happening and no doubt this letter would finally tell him the good news, the news he was waiting to hear ever since the term began.

It wasn’t Mother’s familiar script that was on parchment but Father’s. And the letter held anything _but_ good news. It was _painful_ to read to the end and his hands shook, his throat ached and his eyes burned but he tried to keep his composure.

“Draco, is everything all right?”

At Granger’s inquiry, he bolted upright and snapped at her to leave him alone before running out of the Great Hall.

He felt _sick_.

Father had _disowned_ him and called _him_ a mistake and blood traitor.

It wasn’t until he found himself in an empty corridor that he fell to the floor, pulling himself to a ball and cried until his throat was horse and cheeks were raw. But he stayed there until he had to close his eyes in pain and exhaustion.

* * *

He woke up in the Hospital Wing and his throat was dry and hoarse when he tried to speak. Madam Pomfrey, the matron, handed him a glass of water before telling him that she was going to tell Professor McGonagall that he was finally awake.

Draco sat on the bed, fighting the urge to cry as he remembered the letter from Fath – _Mr Malfoy_. Thinking about _him_ as someone other than a parent was painful like he was being pricked by needles all over. He didn’t notice that he started shaking and lost his grip on the glass that sent it tumbling down the bed and breaking on the floor.

“Mr Malfoy,” he jerked at the stern voice of Professor McGonagall and realised he’d broken the glass. That he was careless, that he made a _mistake_.

“I – I’m sorry, Prof – Professor,” he whimpered and hated himself for how pathetic he sounded.

Professor McGonagall didn’t say anything to him but brandished out her wand and fixed the broken glass. She set it on the counter beside the bed and pulled out a chair for her to sit.

“How are you feeling, Mr Malfoy?” She asked but her tone was no longer stern or urgent. It was soft and gentle – it reminded him of Mother.

“I – I’m fine, Professor.” He lied and chewed on his lip. He didn’t want her to know, it was a disgrace. It was an embarrassment. He was a _mistake_.

“Mr Malfoy,” she reached out and placed a hand on his leg. “I am sure that you wouldn’t want to talk about it - and I apologise beforehand for reading your letter, but it is not something we can’t talk about.”

Draco glared at the mention of the letter. She knew and she read it – who gave it to her? It had to be Granger, she sat beside him at the table and he’d so foolishly left the letter there.

“I’m _fine_ , Professor. I don’t need –”

“Mr Malfoy, you are most certainly _not_ fine,” he curled to himself at her words, remembering the stupid letter. Of course he _wasn’t_ fine, he was –

“But you are also most certainly _not_ a mistake.”

Draco looked up at her as if he was doused in cold water. His eyes wide and lips trembling as he watched her soft expression turned hard and stiff.

“However,” her lip curled as she sent a sharp look at the letter on the counter. “I can’t say the same for Lucius Malfoy.”

He was silent, not knowing what to say or how to react to her. He didn’t know of anyone who crossed Fath – _Mr Malfoy_ or ever spoken a word against him.

“Mr Malfoy, you will stay here in the Hospital Wing until Madam Pomfrey deems you fit to be discharged. I will come to visit you later today after my classes.”

Draco nodded quietly and watched Professor McGonagall take brisk steps towards the exit. He laid back on the bed, pulling the blanket over him as he turned on his side.

* * *

Draco had his first and only visitor aside from Professor McGonagall that noon. Granger had arrived with a large book in her arms and unlike the usual indifferent arrogance she carried herself with, she looked scared to approach. But to Draco, the sight of her reminded him of the anger he felt towards her for being _nosy_.

“What do you want?” He snapped at her and felt some delight when he saw her jerk back.

“I – I came here to apologise,” she admitted, no longer so arrogant and stern. “I… yesterday, you left the letter on the table and I didn’t mean to pry –”

“But you did anyway.”

Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, “yes and I’m here to apologise for that – Draco, I’m very truly sorry. I didn’t mean to read it but you’ve been acting strangely since the sorting ceremony and I was worried so when I saw the letter, I – I thought that –”

“Giving it McGonagall would be a good idea?” He sneered and she ducked her head down to her book. “Who told you to go through my personal letters anyway? Who gave you any right to be _so_ nosy? I didn’t ask for _your_ help!”

“I just thought you would need one –”

“But I don’t! I don’t need you or anyone! And I don’t need your stupid apology! Just – Just leave me alone and mind your own business!”

Granger whimpered and without another word, she ran out of the Hospital Wing. It was satisfying to yell but once he finished, he felt a lot worse than he had since that morning.

But he was right – _he didn’t need anyone_.

He didn’t have anyone.

No friends and certainly no family.


End file.
